Virginia woman arrested at Maryland toll plaza after stealing bus

A Virginia woman was arrested Tuesday for stealing a charter bus from the company she worked for, according to Maryland State Police.

Mellat Zerihun Kassa, 24, was served a warrant from Virginia’s Prince William County Police for the stolen bus. For unknown reasons, police said Kassa ignored her route, didn’t pick up any passengers and drove through Maryland.

At around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, the Maryland Transportation Authority contacted Maryland State Police in reference to a stolen green and white Omni charter bus. The bus was reported stolen by Woodbridge, Va.-based company Potomac & Rappahannock Transportation.

The company told police the bus was being driven by Kassa, who had not been answering her phone or the radio, police said.

This is a collection of mug shots released to The Baltimore Sun during the reporting of recent news stories.

Troopers located the bus, which was being tracked via GPS, on I-95 North in Harford County. A trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on the bus, but according to investigators, the bus changed lanes, accelerated and drove away.

Police then followed the bus as it traveled north on I-95.

Kassa drove the bus until she reached the toll plaza for the Tydings Memorial Bridge, where she stopped in a lane designed only for passenger vehicles. Troopers ordered Kassa out of the bus and she complied, police said.

Kassa was arrested without incident. Police said no one was injured and no vehicles were damaged as a result of the incident.

Kassa is being held without bond at the Harford County Detention Center.